General Information

 Thyroid gland is located low in the neck, between the thyroid cartilage (Adam's apple)    and the collar bones.


 Dumbbell shaped, consists of three sections; two lobes, one on either side of the    windpipe, and the connecting section called the "isthmus"


 It is part of the endocrine system

 It produces hormones that regulate metabolism, particularly thyroxine (T4) and to a    lesser extent triiodothyronine (T3)


 An enlargement of the thyroid gland is called a goiter

        Occasionally due to deficiency of iodine in the diet

        A benign condition

        Patients with goiter or a family history of goiter may have a risk of developing           cancer of the thyroid if the cause of the goiter is not treated




Thyroid cancer accounts for only 1% of invasive cancers

Two parathyroid glands lie at the edge of each lobe of the thyroid, together with C-     cells in the thyroid, the parathyroids control calcium metabolism


There are 4 main types of thyroid cancer

      Papillary

      Follicular

      Medullary

      Anaplastic